Whedonesque : Comments on 15845 : Subtle fandom at Harper's Magazine.

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March 21 2008

Subtle fandom at Harper's Magazine. Nice poem, title is a fun little shoutout.

Hey, my first thread!

[ edited by fleem on 2008-03-21 16:20 ]

fleem | Fandom&Fun | 18:14 CET | 18 comments total | tags:

My son once said that Buffy and Angel would eventually be the most popular shows in the world, because people like us will spread the word...be Buffyvangelists, in a word.

Glad to see that Harper's is doing their bit, however subtly.

Chris inVirginia | March 21, 21:29 CET

The reference is so subtle that I don't get it. I'm actually not sure it is there at all.

TamaraC | March 21, 22:12 CET

Err, pretty thin I reckon ;). Nice bit of verse though.

('Heart' is spelled wrong for a start - with WR&H it's 'Hart', like the stag and signifier of the otherworld)

Saje | March 21, 22:21 CET

It says Wolfram's Divided Heart, which, if that's not really the title of the poem, is almost definitely a Wolfram & Hart nod. From the little info that I see on the page, it looks like the title was added by Harper's as the bit of verse they plucked out doesn't seem to have a name of its own aside from the name of the longer piece of which it is part. That sentence was way the %$#@ too long :)

Well, it wouldn't make sense as a standalone non-reference if they spelled it Hart, Saje. There's reference/nod and then there's shameless pandering :)

zeitgeist | March 21, 22:24 CET

Do Harper's have a history of Buffy fandom then ?

Personally I think it's a nod to Stephen Wolfram, his stuff on cellular automata always makes me think of "I was Made to Love You".

;-)

Saje | March 21, 22:31 CET

No one got my Philip Larkin reference the other week. Maybe I should be less subtle. Mutter grumble.

Simon | March 21, 22:58 CET

The poet's name was Wolfram, and it's a poem about the heart. I don't really see an Angel connection here, but it's still cool anyways.

whedongeeky | March 21, 23:00 CET

Yeah, but fandom is partially about seeing references where there are none and over-analyzing them whether they exist or not, right? Who is with me? ;)

zeitgeist | March 21, 23:13 CET

I think it's a subtle Angel reference. People don't randomly stick "William's Divided Heart" on top of a Shakespeare sonnet. (The exception being "William's One-Time Tryst With Apprentice Poet Ben." ) Well plucked, fleem.

Pointy | March 21, 23:15 CET

This strikes me as likely an accident, but IANA English major. Either way-- hey, good times.

Sunfire | March 21, 23:17 CET

Yeah, but fandom is partially about seeing references where there are none and over-analyzing them whether they exist or not, right? Who is with me? ;)

Hell yeah ! Now about that "season 8" comics comment of Joss' ...

;-)

Saje | March 21, 23:39 CET

Ah, just a coincidence--I contacted the fellow who posted the poem, and the headline. His response:

Regrettably, I don't know the program you reference. This is something I flagged back some 30 years ago when I was studying old German texts in Munich, and it reflects a thought at the core of the writing of the Minnesaenger, namely the reconciliation of human passions with reason as an ultimate aspiration--plus of course the new idea of romantic love.

Chris inVirginia | March 22, 01:38 CET

So... it was Angel that accidentally obscurely referenced historical German literature, then.

Sunfire | March 22, 01:42 CET

Thought had crossed my mind, Sunfire.

Mr. Whedon? Mr. Greenwalt?

[ edited by Chris inVirginia on 2008-03-21 22:47 ]

Chris inVirginia | March 22, 01:46 CET

... namely the reconciliation of human passions with reason as an ultimate aspiration ...

Angel: "It speaks to us, guides us. Passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have?"

Angel: "Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief."

And therein lies the genius of Joss (or at least Ty King ;) and why, in my giddier moments, I almost entertain the "modern Shakespeare" claims. It was true to Wolfram von Eschenbach in the 13th century, to Billy Shakes in the 16th and 17th and it's still true now. It is, to borrow a phrase, "meaning of life stuff" ;).

Legitimate Whedon link be damned, I say the convergence is too true to be false and it should stay ;).

[ edited by Saje on 2008-03-21 23:33 ]

Saje | March 22, 02:21 CET

Amen to that, Saje.

And by "that" I mean your entire post.

Chris inVirginia | March 22, 02:25 CET

Plus, "the writing of the Minnesaenger"

Could very well be fan wanked to 'the writing of the Messenger-Minear'.

missb | March 22, 04:22 CET

Pointy gets my vote for wittiest comment on the thread. ;-)

Shey | March 22, 16:43 CET

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